Ministers heading for 'a hiding' in the States

Friday 17 January 2014

Next week's move to sack Environment Minister Rob Duhamel is going to blow up in Ministers' faces says one of his States colleagues.

Deputy Sean Power, the last Minister to lose his job midway through his electoral term, said he’s confident the Planning Minister will keep his job. More importantly the Deputy says the debate comes at a very bad time so soon after the results of the latest social survey revealed that almost half the island have no confidence in politicians.

Deputy Power said: “I think it will be defeated. I think it has the potential to drag the States Assembly into lower esteem than at the end of last year.

"I think he’ll survive and the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers will take a hiding on this.”

The Chief Minister’s dismissal proposal says that Deputy Rob Duhamel has misled the Council of Ministers, the States and the public, and that he has failed to abide by his own department’s code of conduct.

The 39-page document highlights four incidents – the Co-op application at Charing Cross, the JEC substation application in town, the review of the Island Plan and disposal of asbestos – where Senator Gorst criticises Deputy Duhamel’s lack of judgement and transparency.

Deputy Power is confident all of the criticisms against the Deputy Rob Duhamel can be fairly easily defeated and that he will have the support of many States Members.

He said: “I believe Deputy Duhamel has made some very brave and difficult decisions and I will be robustly supporting him next week.”